TOS - Vol 2, Pt 2, Ch 25

The Overlord Saga

Vol II. Versus

Chapter 25: Project Navi

It was a glorious day in the ravine. Nothing particularly was wrong, despite the fact that the ANF army was hiding in the ravine and was deprived of the luxuries of the Fortress. The Overlord had to admit, she’d gotten used to the idea of living in the middle of the woods, even though she sorely missed her office and swimming pool. There were some perks to the Overlord’s Sanctum, the main one being that living in such close quarters with her Underlings brought about a sense of unity, serenity, peace, and newfound understanding of each other’s needs and personal space.

As such, the Advisor and the Soul-Keeper were bickering upon exiting her tent that morning. The Theurgist, who was drifting along behind the Overlord, couldn’t help but warrant the trivial situation a facepalm. The Overlord glanced irritably at her two council members, hands on her hips and breathing in exasperation. “What happened.” She wasn’t even going to give the statement a question mark, knowing full well a long list of things that could have happened.

“It’s like nothing’s changed...” the Ninja-Lord remarked from where she was sitting in a tree, looking out for DIB soldiers, “Nothing at all.”

“Agreed,” the Theurgist remarked under his breath.

“He keeps being inappropriate!” the Advisor pointed at the Soul-Keeper, angrily anchoring her foot and jutting her hip out in the stereotypical ‘angry woman’ pose. The Overlord fought back a scowl of disapproval, feeling the Theurgist’s annoyance as well.

“Maybe you shouldn’t take things so seriously!” the Soul-Keeper shot back, arms folded into his long sleeves.

“I so don’t have time for this,” the Overlord retorted, stepping between them and shoving each of them back, “Advisor, you’re in that corner, Soul-Keeper, you’re in that corner. WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?” Throwing her hands into the air in exasperation, the Overlord proceeded across the camp, brushing off the odd glares she was receiving from the Underlings and other ANF members.

“What’s gotten into her?” the Animal Tamer whispered, frowning as the Overlord kicked a stick halfway across the campsite. “She seems... Moody...”

“Hasn’t been sleeping, I’d imagine,” Jamie remarked from where she was putting in her hoop earrings, “She was up allllllllll night last night with Elwell, Sensei, and Obstruckshun. I couldn’t hear much, but from what I gather, DIB has a secret weapon that they’re going to implement in the campaign, soon. And we’re not even remotely close to having an army that can match theirs.” She tossed her hair back over her shoulder, brushing it a few times, then glanced at where Sexist was sitting around four yards away, watching her and the Animal Tamer. Blinking a few times, then looking down before back at the Animal Tamer, Jamie continued, “The Navi Project- that’s what it’s called. Em figures it’s some sort of bioweapon.”

“A bioweapon?!” the Animal Tamer exclaimed, eyes wide.

“Firebrand sleeps not, but Navi is merely part of why,” a voice chimed from behind Jamie. She started, then looked over her shoulder at where Maverick was scurrying over, smashing an ill-fated beetle with her cane, “Troubled eyes, troubled mind. The toll of these ventures reaps more than you Soulless realizes. Maverick knows.”

Jamie quirked an eyebrow, exchanging looks with the Animal Tamer before her gaze returned to the Maverick, “Oh?”

Maverick rocked back and forth, laughing to herself as she did, “Aye... Maverick knows all too well. But worry not. Destiny has cast this to be. And so, Maverick sits to wait and see what shall become of Firebrand when this venture ends. The war of ANF against DIB shall be one of bards to sing of, and storytellers to speak of- a war of Fire and Ice.” As Jamie fought back a laugh at the maddened woman, Maverick wandered over to Sexist, who instinctively drew back, watching her carefully. Grimacing as the hermit reached out with a hand and grabbed his hair, Sexist curled his hand into a fist- just as a defense precaution. “And you...” She whispered, leaning forward, dark eyes glittering, “Much you have to do. Much at work is there with you.”

“Why are you touching my hair?” Sexist asked uncomfortably.

“Uhhhh...” the Animal Tamer stammered, watching Maverick as she whispered into Sexist’s ear. Voice low so that Sexist could only hear, Maverick murmured.

“When leaders hath lost grace
And firm foundation begins to unlace
Tread the snowed path
For one must end the bloodbath.”

Pushing the hooded hermit away, Sexist rose from the ground, “What are you doing!?” he snapped, blue eyes narrowed at the woman as she fell to the ground. Catching the bewildered glances from not only Jamie and the Animal Tamer, but the rest of the army, Sexist faltered, shifting his weight on his feet before glaring down at Maverick, “Just leave me alone!” Turning deftly on his heel, he stalked away, down the ravine to be alone, passing a quiet, perhaps even fearful Twin who shied away from him as he stalked by. The entire campsite went completely and utterly silent.

“It’s good to see everyone’s in such a great mood,” the Lieutenant broke the silence. There were a few chuckles, some uncertain and some truly humored. Notably, the Captain spewed soda from his nose at his Lieutenant’s statement, grinning from ear-to-ear.

“Twin, Jamie, Ninja-Lord, Evocator, Soul-Keeper, Captain, McCoy, Fish, Lieutenant, Advisor, and Animal Tamer, come here!” the Overlord cleared her throat, looking at the rest of the army, “We’re taking the offensive in this campaign. I need to put an end to DIB’s bioweapon, that you all have no doubt heard of.” The Overlord drew her katana, testing its blade with her finger, “Project Navi. We find this project. We take it. We either eliminate it, or we sway it to join us. Either way, DIB will no longer have the advantage in this war. I will make sure of that.”

“Excellent!” McCoy called, tipping his hat to the Overlord.

“Scribe, Master of Tazers, Grasshopper, and Belarus! You’re in charge of camp until we return. It shouldn’t be long, I’d imagine!” the Overlord glanced at the four council members left, then shouldered her staff, smirking to herself.

“You’re taking your best fighters?” the Theurgist asked, “Well, minus the Wises and the rest of the ninja team... And... Well, you know, Sexist.”

“Should I bring him?” the Overlord asked quietly, angling her head to where she could see the Theurgist from the corner of her eye. “I still don’t trust him worth a crap, Theurgist.”

“You own his soul.”

“His eyes are weird.”

“That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard.”

“My impromptu skills have eloped with my list of excuses and I’m afraid they won’t be back for another week.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Fine...!” the Overlord sighed, pointing at Sexist, “You come too.” ‘A test to see where his loyalties lie. Even as an Underling the first time, he still was able to sneak past my gaze and make dealings with the Nemesis. Tch... Why did I let my guard down?’ the Overlord glanced down at the leaf-covered floor, hand curled into a fist. ‘I hope I’m not screwing up by dragging him along.’ With a wave of her hand, she stalked through the middle of the army, passing Sexist by with little to no emotion in her eyes. She felt his pressing glare on the back of her neck, hardly able to hide a chill as it swept through her.

The Soul-Keeper took the Overlord’s right side as she approached him, dutifully crossing his arms and grinning from beneath his hood. To the Overlord’s left, the Ninja-Lord stood, silver arm glinting in the sunlight. Sweeping her gaze across the army, she caught glimpses of the growing ANF forces, a smile playing about her lips. Her stride faltered only as Maverick could be seen, brooding just beyond where the Smurfs were playing. Dark eyes glittering, the hermit’s stare was impossible to hold. Continuing onward, the Overlord drew her staff from its holder, lifting it high into the sky. In a flash, the group had vanished from view, leaving behind the campsite.

---

“Disgraces.”

The Nemesis spat the word out at his subordinates as they knelt before him, cringing in his presence. Still preserved, the Theurgist’s body wavered in its icy tomb, shielded behind a blanket of aquamarine ice. A hole in the ceiling permitted the Jabberwocky to sit in on the conversation, its long neck stretched to where its head was inside the Fortress. Occasionally, the Nemesis would reach up and stroke its scaly head or toss a bunny from a nearby pin into the monster’s eager jaws. The crimson spray from the victims would spew onto the faces of the other DIB members, warranting a wince or two.

“The Na’vi project is almost complete,” the Rebel Commander reasoned, “We’ve got an adequate amount of cloning material, sir, we can still continue with the construction of the super soldiers...”

“My sources tell me that the Overlord has departed her campsite...” Pharisee stammered as the Nemesis descended from the throne, stepping lightly despite his heavy armor. “We still have this campaign so long as we have the Fortress.”

“No,” the Nemesis retorted, his voice laced with a condescending air, “This campaign is ours so long as we have this.” He held up the scythe, looking its polished blade over. “An amplifier of powers. The mark of the Overlord’s morale. Not this damn Fortress.”

“Where is the Insurgent Leader?” Blondie spoke up quietly, but was merely rewarded with silence from the armored leader.

The Nemesis pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his belt, glancing it over with a satisfied gleam in his eyes. “Rebel Commander. You will take this letter to the Overlord. It is a formal SVC notification of her dismissal from the council of Super Villains.” He handed the letter to the Rebel Commander, adding, “She’ll be in Hyrule.” Without further instruction, the Nemesis left the room, the large double doors to the courtyard slamming behind him. Glancing at the other DIB members, the Rebel Commander nervously shifted his weight.

“What do you think happened to the Insurgent Leader?” Jester muttered darkly.

“Probably same thing that happened to him,” Pharisee gestured over his shoulder at the Theurgist’s frozen body with his thumb, “If I were you...” The false prophet’s eyes locked onto the Rebel Commander, “... I’d go ahead and give that to the Overlord.”
---


Hyrule Fields were quiet, despite the large amount of non-Hylians that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The Animal Tamer was the first up and ready to go, scouring the rolling hills a few yards away from the rest of the group. The Soul-Keeper was helping people onto their feet, and came around to extend his hand to the Ninja-Lord. Upon grabbing her silver arm and pulling, he was shocked to see the metallic part completely detach itself from the rest of her body, falling away in his hand.

“I er... Oops...” Hastily, he crammed the arm back onto the disgruntled Ninja-Lord’s shoulder, wincing as she yelped in pain. A few feet away, the Apprentice (who had decided to disobey orders and come along for the ride), had drawn a cerulean ocarina from within her robes and was playing a small melody.

McCoy felt strangely out of place with the rest of the Underlings, shouldering his machine gun. He had been absorbed into the Zombie Headhunting Squadron since betraying DIB, but didn’t necessarily mind it. The Captain had been referring to him as the ‘cadet’, which McCoy figured was better than ‘fresh meat’. Overall, he’d been generally well accepted into the Underling Army- well, far better than Sexist had. Despite his new loyalties to the Zombie Headhunting Squadron, he had been sticking close to Fish, who was both quiet and very tolerable. He had promised himself no attachments- just in case the Insurgents got their act back together after all.

“Where to?” the Evocator asked the Overlord, hands on her hips. “There’s nothing around for miles.”

“Not true,” the Twin pointed at a hilltop in the distance. “That looks like a cluster of buildings up there. Look! I see fencing, too. A town?”

“Too small,” Jamie shielded her eyes and looked at the hilltop, “You know, I’ll be happy when I’m back on my boat. All of this walking is annoying.”

“Makes thwarting DIB all the more satisfying, doesn’t it?” the Overlord shot her pirate friend a coy smile. Unfurling a map, the Overlord glanced at a massive field depicted, tilting her head to the side. Ignoring the fact that the Captain and the Lieutenant were playing with a lighter near a particularly odd looking plant, the Overlord’s finger traced the rim of what seemed like a mountain. “We’re looking for Kokiri Forest.”

“That looks like the entrance to a forest,” Sexist pointed at a gap in the rock walls surrounding Hyrule Fields, then traced a small canyon to a cluster of trees to the far east.

“That’s not it,” the Overlord retorted stubbornly, shooting Sexist a testy look.

“Uh, yeah it is,” Sexist folded his arms, but not before gesturing at where the map read, in fine print ‘Kokiri Forest’. Sending the Overlord a smug smile, he watched as she wordlessly began walking away, whistling for the Captain and the Lieutenant to pay attention. The Soul-Keeper jogged after them, wiping his brow.

“The author of this story should’ve given me more summer-friendly attire!” he complained.

“It’s almost like I’m alive again. You’ve got almost the entire freaking council here,” the Theurgist muttered to the Overlord, in chinchilla form on her shoulder. She cast her gaze back at where the Ninja-Lord was adjusting her silver arm, then to where the Evocator was walking alongside the Advisor, though seemed very absent-minded. Sexist was taking up the back with the Soul-Keeper, hands shoved into his pockets.

“The scars that the Nemesis cut are too deep for things to be like how they used to. Even after this is all over, things won’t be the same,” the Overlord argued quietly, “We’ll be lucky if everyone survives the final battle at this rate.”

“Ye of little faith,” the Theurgist remarked.

“BIRD!” the Captain yelled, pointing his bazooka at a circling vulture. “IT’S MINE!”

“Nope!” the Lieutenant aimed his bazooka at the bird, but the Captain was quicker. Pulling the trigger on his bazooka, he was surprised when a portion of his weapon opened to the side, revealing a padded boxing glove that promptly smacked him in the face. The Lieutenant grinned and fired, exploding the vulture with ease, “Told you it was mine.”

“... Maybe you do have a reason to worry, Overlord,” the Theurgist muttered under his breath.

---

Hours had passed before the group had arrived at the edge of a forest, the sun beginning to set. The Twin was urging everyone forward, glancing at the Overlord frantically. Standing with her staff sheathed and her sword in hand, the Overlord carried up the back, forcing Jamie to take up the leading position.

“Why the rush?” the Advisor pressed, hands her hips.

“Just trust me. These plains get nasty when night comes ‘round,” the Overlord pushed the Advisor lightly into the shadows of the trees.

“Like...?” the Advisor scowled, glaring deep into the Overlord’s eyes.

“Y’know. Walking skeletons. Every two steps you take, another one’s coming after you,” the Overlord shrugged carelessly, though couldn’t suppress a grin as the Advisor hurried along into the woods after her younger sister, keeping a protective hand on the Animal Tamer’s shoulder. The Overlord glanced at the Twin, then called, “That’s the last of ‘em!” As the Twin waved back at the Overlord, something began to emerge out of the ground behind the Twin, clawing its way to the surface.

“Get into the forest!” the Theurgist yelled, his claws digging into the Overlord’s shoulder, but merely passing through her skin and clothes. The Overlord charged forward, much to the Twin’s confusion, katana drawn. As the skeletal creature reached back to slash the Twin with a bony hand, the Twin turned around, a piercing scream echoing the skeleton’s garbled roar. Kagi whirling less than an inch over the Twin’s head and striking the skeleton’s neck, the Overlord watched the head as flew away, the glow in its eyes dying away. With a kick, she sent the body away, then grabbed the Twin’s wrist.

“Holy hell...” the Twin breathed, shaking and glancing over the Overlord’s shoulder at where more skeletons were emerging from the ground. “Let’s get inside!”

Entering the forests, the Overlord continued along the path before her, Kagi’s blade pulsating with a fiery light. A few moments later, she almost bumped right into Sexist’s back, stopping abruptly and craning her neck to see what was happening on at the front of the group. “Why are we stopping?” the Twin whispered and the Overlord responded by shoving her way roughly to the front, where the Soul-Keeper, the Evocator, and the Ninja-Lord were talking with a small blonde boy in green.

“And who are you?” the Overlord was not amused by the small person blocking her path.

“I am the Great Mido! I am the leader of the Kokiri!” the blonde boy stared at the Overlord, who didn’t budge. If there was any sign of emotion, it was stifle of a very harsh, bitter laugh.

“I don’t have time for this. Fish, if you will,” the Overlord waved a hand. Fish stepped up and summoned a series of chains to wrap around Mido. As Mido struggled in the air, the Overlord walked by him, hand rested on Kagi’s hilt as she strode through the village. The other villagers- equally as small as their leader- ducked or shied away from the intruders, none of them brave enough to stand against them.

“I want some awesome sunglasses. That would make this moment so much better,” the Soul-Keeper remarked, breaking the silence. The Apprentice had overrode the peaceful, yet upbeat Kokiri Forest theme with a more appropriate ‘Bad to the Bone’, which pulsed loudly with a bass as the group approached a path on the opposite side of the village from where they had left Mido chained. Taking the path away from the treehouses and Kokiri, the Twin and Jamie moved to positions alongside the Overlord, the Lieutenant, McCoy, and the Captain falling into place behind them with guns at the ready.

“Such a primitive little world,” the Overlord remarked, mainly to herself. Not even a second after she’d spoken, a large bulb resembling a venus flytrap had perked its head from the ground. As it opened its mouth to grab the Overlord, McCoy fired a round of bullets, killing it instantly. Moments later, and the bushes thinned out to reveal a massive tree located in the center of a clearing, a comical mouth and eyes carved in its trunk.

“That’s not right,” the Ninja-Lord remarked, arms folded.

“That’s an old spirit,” the Evocator whistled as the tree took notice of them, its nose twitching.

“Thou hast brought chaos unto mine forest,” the tree rumbled, its branches shaking in the wind. The Overlord’s hand never moved from Kagi’s hilt, her green eyes bearing into the eyes of the tree spirit. “And thou art not ashamed nor doest thou bear a heavy conscience.”

“It’s a cover-up for the Nemesis’ secret lab. Something to hinder us,” the Overlord concluded in a relatively level voice. In a flash of red light, she drew Kagi, the heat from the blade radiating before her and the tree. ‘I never was a huge fan talking trees. It’s like a freaking rooted ent,’ the Overlord said to herself, still poised to strike.

“Don’t be hasty,” the Evocator closed her eyes, “Overlord, this is no security program or object constructed by the Nemesis. It’s a spirit! I can sense it!”

‘A spirit? The Nemesis has spirits working for him now? Great... That’s all we need...’ the Overlord thought grimly. She would heed the Evocator’s words... this time. Her coercion talents would not be wasted by her fiery passion for warfare. It was time to regain her status as the master of threats. “We’re here for Navi,” the Overlord continued, “And we will take Navi whether you like it or not. Or this forest burns.”

“Don’t anger him!” the Evocator whispered urgently.

“Thy blade hath the soul of fire. I wish not to see these forests burn... Navi is not worth the lives that would be lost,” the tree conceded. A few moments later, a blue light came flying from the trees, swooping down and floating a few inches from the Overlord’s face. The tree continued, “I present ye with Navi. Care for her greatly, as she shalt not betray ye.”

“This little light is Project Navi?” Jamie snorted with laughter, “Some bioweapon.”

The Overlord promptly grabbed the light in her hands, though was careful not to crush the glowing light. As the Animal Tamer offered a jar she frequently used to capture fireflies, the Overlord smiled and placed the glowing light in the jar. “Watch it carefully,” she warned, “You never know... This thing could be a violent, psychotic monster.”

“... Why do I have to carry it?” the Animal Tamer whined, holding the jar out to the Advisor, who refused to accept it. Dismayed the Animal Tamer hung her head as the group departed from the tree’s meadow.

‘Why do I get the feeling that something is not right...?’ the Overlord thought, casting a puzzled look at the blue light banging angrily against the glass walls of the jar.